City of Langley Proposition No. 1 Governmental Services and Technology Levy · Island County

Committee: Langley Citizens for the Levy

Langley has not asked voters to approve a levy lid lift for more than 20 years. However, the impacts of inflation and unfunded state mandates can no longer be avoided with band-aids such as the elimination of non-essential services. This measure raises the levy rate from $1.01 to $1.66 per $1,000 of assessed property value, restoring basic funding after years of falling behind. This is not a budget expansion; it is a necessary step to fund ongoing essential services. Without this levy lid lift the city’s general fund is projected to run a deficit by 2028, forcing the city to consider unincorporating. Local government empowers us to shape our community – with land-use planning, public safety, sewers, drinking water, parks and street maintenance. Langley’s elected officials and staff are our neighbors, accountable to us and reachable with a walk to City Hall, not a distant county office. Let’s not hand local decisions to Island County, losing the responsive, close-to-home city government this community values. Vote YES, so we can continue to control our own future for the Village by the Sea.

Committee: Committee for Fair Tax Increase in Langley

Like most of you we love our little town of 1200, but we are asking you to vote NO on this 65% city property tax increase. It is just too large. Property tax here goes from $6,300 on a median priced home ( $770,000 ) to $6,800 compared to only $6,000 for our SW neighbors. We are paying more to duplicate services that could be provided by Island County at lower cost. Many of us have modest incomes and an extra 800 dollars a year makes a difference. The city budget for tourism promotion is around $230,000. We are teeming with tourists, do we need more? Do we really want longer ferry waits and restaurants and parking you can’t get into every weekend and all summer? We are ALL FOR a tax increase, but not this large. Over 2/3 of the levy increase could be eliminated by shifting money from tourism to our general fund. We urge you to send a message to the City Council that enough is enough. Ask them to return with a more reasonable increase. What they request is 35% beyond general inflation over the past 20 years. Our pockets are not bottomless.